Blossom
by WrestleCrazyGamer
Summary: *Hope you don't mind your childhood being ruined.* Blossom was exiled from Townsville for the murder of the mayor. Forced to be an errand girl for her former nemeses in the warped land outside, she seeks a way to prove her innocence. At the same time, a dark, sinister plot forms in the underbelly of Townsville. *On hiatus*
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 01: Blossom in Exile

The world has become a gloomy place, especially the area around the city of Townsville. While our heroes the Power Puff Girls were in their second year of middle school, thousands to hundreds of thousands of vents containing Chemical X suddenly exploded changing the face of the world for eternity. Cities and towns worked fast to erect walls to keep their citizens and homes safe from corruption. This also caused a rise in crime, putting our heroes on their toes wherever they go. The Mayor soon had to choose an advisor to aid him with decisions in this time of strife.

Of the election, Lion D. Abrams was chosen for the position with an outstanding 80% of the cities votes compared to his four competitors. His long golden hair resembling a mane with a beard to complete the "lion" look, yet it went well with his dignified suit outfit. His very first act as advisor was to suggest the Villain Banishment Act, to keep the city clean of the filth that is crime. They would accomplish this by, as it states, banishing convicted felons guilty of Class II crimes such as manslaughter to the wastes beyond the wall. The Mayor wasn't okay with it, but at the time the pros were alarmingly higher than the cons. So reluctantly, he signed the bill, and it was put into action immediately. Several high class villains that the Power Puff Girls had fought in the past were banished to the wasteland beyond. They didn't like it one bit, but a law was a law.

The years went on as more laws were passed to crack down on criminals. Townsville was seeing a record low in crime with Lion advising Mr. Mayor. The citizens couldn't get enough of Lion and his dedication to justice. The Power Puff Girls hotline began ringing less and less as they grew from pre-teens, to teenagers, to grown women living in their own homes with their own lives. The darkest time would come one rainy day in early January… Blossom was convicted of first degree murder… her victim… the mayor. She roared and hollered that she was framed, but the court proved otherwise with fingerprints, hair, and eye witnesses of her entering his office. Even the professor couldn't believe it, and Blossom was in tears pleading that she was innocent.

At the Criminal Disarm Facility, they used Mojo Jojo's design for a way to extract the Chemical X power from the Power Puff Girls to strip Blossom of her powers. Afterward she went through the full criminal conviction process before being loaded onto a hover freighter to go over the wall to the wastes. She was escorted by her sisters and Advisor Abrams. Once they exited the vehicle, Abrams opened a book.

"As Advisor to Townsville, Blossom Plutonium, for the crime of first degree murder you are hereby stripped of your hero title and banished for eternity." Abrams read from the book before closing it.

"Bubbles… Buttercup… you don't seriously think I did it do you?" Blossom pleaded.

"Sorry Blossom… you can't argue with evidence." Buttercup sighed taking the handcuffs off of her.

Her sisters hugged her one last time before entering the vehicle to return to the city. Blossom fell to her knees watching them leave as the wind blew. In the vehicle, Abrams seemed to be thinking. He then turned to Buttercup with a grin on his face.

"I had a program to propose to the mayor… but now with his death, I'll be forced to take his position as his advisor. I'd like to make you the chief of a new line of law enforcement, Buttercup." Abrams spoke, and Buttercup turned to face him.

"What is it?" she asked.

"A program to use Chemical X to our advantage, despite the fact we work so hard to keep contamination to a low." Abrams grinned.

Back in the wasteland, Blossom had begun walking. The cold wasteland quickly wore on her. Without her powers, Blossom couldn't even see as far as she once could. Her hearing was that of a normal person. She'd never felt so helpless before, and loathed the fate she now faced. Days seemed to go by as she walked and the harsh climate weathered her clothing. She hadn't known what starving and dehydration was until now either. After six days of walking, her legs gave in and she lost consciousness. She expected death to take her at any second, but in her sleep she felt herself being dragged. She managed to muster one eye open, but her vision was blurry so she couldn't make out who was dragging her.

"Do we HAVE to take her? She's the reason we're out here." a woman's voice asked.

"Oh, but if we save her… she'll have no choice but to help… BECAUSE SHE'LL OWE US HER LIFE!" a very distinctive voice replied.

"Fine, but if the first thing she does is punch you in the nose don't come crying to me." the woman's voice sassed.

Blossom lost consciousness again after that, but felt herself being nursed. When she finally had the strength to regain consciousness she found herself in a makeshift infirmary. A lot of the equipment in the room looked to have been lifted from the caravans that distribute merchandise, equipment, and other items between the cities. A door opened and HIM came into view making Blossom panic a bit to find her wrists held by shackles to the bed.

"Oh, do calm down, Blossom… you aren't in any danger…" HIM assured her.

"Where am I?" Blossom asked still shaking.

"You're in Junk Town… where all the banished villains reside…" HIM replied with a grin.

"I'm surprised that I'm still alive if that's true." Blossom commented.

"Oh, I quite literally had to beat Mojo with a bat to keep him from strangling you in your sleep… AS MUCH AS I'D HAVE LOVED TO DO THAT MYSELF!" HIM threatened.

"So why keep me alive?" Blossom asked.

"Simple… we all have to help each other out here, or else we'll all die. I'm sure even you know that something's off with that advisor… it's a little convenient that it was recently changed so that the advisor would succeed the mayor in the event of their death… ISN'T IT?!" HIM hinted.

"So you're saying he killed the mayor?" Blossom asked.

"Not directly… and it's impossible to mimic you girls enough that it'd fool anyone convincingly. Even we're stumped on how you were framed so perfectly without having actually committed the crime." HIM replied.

"You believe me?" Blossom asked in shock.

"Darling, you've punched and kicked us all enough times to know you wouldn't kill anyone no matter how evil they are…" HIM chuckled.

"I'm going on a limb and guessing there's terms and conditions to me being allowed to stay here." Blossom sighed.

"Very insightful… how it works in Junk Town is simple. You scratch our backs… WE SCRATCH YOURS. Complete favors… and there'll be a very special reward in store for you…" HIM explained.

"Like what?" Blossom asked, and HIM suddenly stabbed her arm with a syringe full of Chemical X.

Blossom's body gleefully accepted the syringe's injection. She gasped breathing heavily as it visibly coursed through her veins. It seemed to reinvigorate her body as she easily broke the shackles holding her. She sat up yanking the syringe from her arm tossing it aside. Her wound bled for a second, but then it sealed up. She'd seemed to calm down as well.

"T-That… what was that…?" Blossom asked trembling.

"What we call an X-High… only for your body it restores a bit of your original power. With a dose that small, I'd say about 1.5% of your original power is back, and your hyperactive healing has reactivated at a very diminished rate. Small wounds like getting a shot will heal in seconds… but I'd assume that larger injuries will take longer than that." HIM replied with a sadistic grin.

"I get it… I help you all… I eventually get back to 100%." Blossom reasoned rubbing where she was injected.

"First thing's first… I refuse to have you running around in those raggedy clothes you had on. So I've brought something of my own design… that I'm sure will look… FAMILIAR." HIM grinned placing a suitcase on the gurney with her.

Blossom opened it to find an outfit inside. Dark brown boots made for all kinds of terrain with white socks designed to be perfect for all kinds of weather, black pants seemingly made of a thick otherworldly material despite being lightweight, brown fingerless gloves that go to the forearm with buckles to stay on, a short-sleeved hot pink short-dress made from Kevlar material bearing a large black belt on the waist, and a bright red bow. HIM pulled a curtain over so she could change in privacy. The outfit was like a glove, and reminded her of when she was still considered a hero. Then she noticed a logo on the belt reading "Lu-C-Fer Wastelander".

"Lu-C-Fer? How'd you get your hands on a brand like this? Isn't it ridiculously expensive?" Blossom asked.

"Not when you ARE Lu-C-Fer , darling." HIM chuckled.

"You're behind that brand? Literal fights break out in the holiday season over these outfits." Blossom gasped.

"Yes, well, the brand is called that for a reason… because it was meant to cause fights over its durable yet fashionable appearance…" HIM laughed.

HIM then led Blossom through the upper area of Junk Town. Blossom couldn't believe that they'd actually managed to build a town out of the junk and cliffs they'd found. They then arrived in a shop where the Gangreen Gang seemed to be running the place. All of them weren't too happy to see Blossom, of course.

"Is it ready?" HIM asked Ace, who was at the counter.

"Dunno… still iffy on helpin' a Power Puff…" Ace sighed, and then HIM grabbed him by the shirt glaring into his eyes.

"I ASKED YOU… IS IT READY?" HIM growled.

"Y-Yeah, yeah, it's ready… Snake, the weapon…" Ace stuttered in fear, and Snake slid a black case to them.

"Well Blossom… open it…" HIM urged.

Blossom opened it and immediately backed up. Inside was a weapon similar in shape to a shotgun. It had an odd magazine attached with blue energy pulsing through it. It was longer than her forearm, and the case also had three extra magazines. Blossom was horrified at the sight of it. This weapon was a high-level contraband Psycho weapon, using Psychonic Crystals for ammunition. It wasn't a manufactured model, which meant that it was modified or built from parts they'd stolen.

"Well, not going to try it out? Read her the specifications, Grubber." Ace ordered, and Grubber contorted himself to stand upright.

"The AX-19 Scatter Cannon is normally powered by diamond with lasers refracting 100 times before being focused out to trigger an ion crystal to go volatile firing over a five-foot blast radius ahead of the user. We have modified it to use Psychonic Crystals for a 70% increase in lethality with an increased blast radius of five-feet to ten. It also holds twenty ion crystals instead of the usual ten." Grubber explained before reverting to normal.

"T-This is a highly illegal weapon…" Blossom pointed out.

"Listen, Power Puff, out here it's kill or be killed. All that hero crap won't do you any good out here. We made this for you because HIM asked us to. So you're gonna run errands for us if you want any new weapons. Trust me, this is a peashooter compared to what we can really make." Ace growled.

"Do I have to use it…?" Blossom asked.

"Well, you don't have your old powers or strength. The land isn't safe at all, fraught with dangerous monsters and bandits banished from other cities and towns. We do what we must to survive. So if you're going to earn more Chemical X, you don't get the luxury of choice." HIM told Blossom while strapping the holster to her putting the gun in it.

"I… I didn't know it was this bad out here…" Blossom sighed.

"Well now you get to experience this hard life with us." Billy growled.

"Down, big guy. We need her, she needs us. That's why she's the errand girl for everyone." Ace scolded him.

Blossom spent a while exploring the town as she evaluated her situation. The town wasn't perfect, and some areas needed repairs from some sort of animal attack. She could see just how much they were struggling. It made her think back to living in Townsville. Compared to the hardships these villains were faced with, she was living the good life. They'd even taken in people from other cities and towns who had nowhere to go. Seeing their children be so scrawny from starvation made her sick to her stomach. This was wrong… the Villain Banishment Act was too cruel, and needed to be repealed.

Blossom made her choice after seeing the town's denizens and their struggle. She hated the idea of guns, but to restore herself to her former power and make things right by these people she'd take aim and fire to complete whatever jobs she was given. So she went to see her oldest nemesis first… Mojo Jojo. His workshop was on the higher end of the cliffs. Once she got there he seemed very unhappy to see her.

"What do you want, Blossom…?" Mojo growled.

"HIM's passed the word around I assume, so you know why I'm here." Blossom scoffed.

"I don't see why I should leave my troubles to you." Mojo scoffed back.

"You can choose to let the past stop us from working together, or you can give me jobs so I can get back to normal faster and get that banishment bill repealed." Blossom sassed.

"Grr, fine! You will get one job and one job only to prove that you are trustworthy of jobs from me, Mojo JOJO! I have Harvest Drones in the Ion Mine a few miles out of town. Whenever I have a shipment to bring to the Gangreen Gang, it gets attacked by Spike Hounds before it even gets loaded onto the truck. They feed on Ion Crystals, and they just keep attacking the drones. I need them dealt with! By dealt with I mean destroyed! Understood?!" Mojo ranted.

"Got it. Now how do I get there without dying of thirst and starvation?" Blossom asked.

"Go see Princess in the garage. She has all the engineering know-how." Mojo replied, and off Blossom went.

Blossom was dreading this encounter. The last time she'd put Princess away it was in a less than flattering way. She arrived at the garage and saw legs wearing a mechanic jumper underneath a vehicle. Blossom was nervous, but still she called to her making her comically hit her head on the vehicle before wheeling herself out from under it.

"Power Puff… it would be you that bothers me when I'm busy." Princess growled rubbing her forehead.

"I need a vehicle to take care of a job Mojo gave me." Blossom explained.

"Just why should I give you the keys to one of my cars?" Princess growled getting in her face.

"We have to help each other out. I scratch your backs you scratch mine. That's what HIM said." Blossom replied.

"You're lucky that's true." Princess scoffed sticking car keys in her hand, but then she clenched Blossom's hand around it making it jab into her palm.

"T-That kind of hurts…" Blossom told her grimacing a bit.

"I'd BETTER get it back in one piece, or so help me Power Puff you will BEG to be dead… I just repaired this car after Fuzzy Lumpkins decided to test the suspension, so I had better not have to do anything other than change the tires and refuel it when you get back." Princess growled pointing to a dune buggy vehicle that appeared to be armed with machine guns and was equipped with a roll cage.

Blossom got in turning the vehicle on as the garage gate opened showing the wasteland beyond. Blossom shifted gear and took off into the distance. How hard could it be to take out some monsters? She wasn't used to using a gun for this kind of work, and even then she usually let them live. It'd take some getting used to, but whether she liked it or not Ace was right… in the new world, it was kill or be killed. Blossom made use of the goggles in the buggy's glove box to keep the dust out of her eyes. She was no longer a Power Puff Girl… but an Exiled, and she'd have to change her mindset to that if she was going to prove her innocence.

In Townsville at the same time, Buttercup was promoted to Chief of the X-Guard, a force of elite trained soldiers boasting enhancements exoskeletons to make it easier to maintain order. Buttercup didn't have time to miss her sister, because even with the laws, there was a new criminal on the loose… a crime boss named Ocean.

End Chapter 01


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 02: Blossom in the Wasteland

Blossom arrived at the Ion Mine and got out of the buggy to find traces of ion crystal on the ground, which meant she'd just missed an attack. The paw prints went inside the mine, which meant she'd have to go in after the Spike Hounds. She nervously gulped as she drew her gun walking inside. Not too far in she saw one, or at least what she assumed was a Spike Hound. It looked like an oversized coyote with large spikes on its back pointing ahead of itself as if they could be launched. Suddenly her gun's flashlight function turned on startling it making it charge her barking. It leapt at her and she pulled the trigger closing her eyes. A thunderous sound rang through the halls of the cave.

Blossom opened her eyes and the perforated beast lay panting as its last lights flickered. She couldn't help feeling sorry for it. She stroked its neck to try and comfort it as it slowly faded. She wished that it was the only one, but there were many more paw prints in the dirt going in deeper. She stood and continued on into the mine seeing Mojo's simian mining robots trying to fight off the Spike Hounds as they harvested the Ion Crystals from the walls. Blossom took a deep breath and rushed toward one opening fire knocking it back considerably crippling its leg. Even so it continued to come at her. The others noticed her as well and began stalking over to them.

Blossom was forced to put down the crippled hound so she could focus on the ones coming at her. After the last was laying lifelessly she found it time to reload. She continued on to make sure it was clear, but she continued to find more Spike Hounds in the passages. Then in the depths of the mine, she found something she hadn't expected. It was a pool of Chemical X, and a colossal Spike Hound was lapping it up like water. It began mutating further after it'd finished. This was the real thing they were after. Going by its coat pattern, it had to be the queen of the pack. It noticed her and let out a loud howl. Blossom would have no choice but to put it down.

She used her athletic ability keep from getting hit. When she could get close enough to blast it she would. It was soaking up her shots like a sponge. Drinking Chemical X had turned it into a true powerhouse of a monster. It juked her and head butted Blossom sending her flying landing directly into the pool of Chemical X. Blossom tried to swim, but found it was thick as syrup. She began losing consciousness, but her eyes opened in her subconscious.

She saw a dark purple platform with pillars on the corners with black all around her. Then, from the black the figure of a woman began forming with glowing red eyes. Blossom tried to move, but couldn't move an inch. The woman approached showing her amorphous body physics. She touched Blossom's cheek with a smile.

"Fear me not, Blossom. I am your mother." the figure smiled.

"M-Mother…?" Blossom choked out.

"Yes. You may call me Empress. I am the one who was born from what you call Chemical X when it was first created, and I am the one who gives life to creatures born of Chemical X such as you and your sisters." she introduced herself.

"The professor made us though…" Blossom pointed out.

"Not alone he didn't. He's researched me for many years, and believed if I could do it… why couldn't he? Of course, he'd planned on a different method. The extra amount was an accident. Even so I decided to humor him and his experiment, leading to your births. I didn't expect you to be such powerful children though." Empress giggled.

"Am I dead…?" Blossom asked.

"No. You're awakening to a power you should have had from birth… but naturally you were also part human thanks to his contribution, so it was hidden from you. Being bathed in Chemical X like this has awakened your latent abilities. Now… let it surge through you… it will only be temporary until you regain your full potential, but it will work for now… let it in… and unleash your true self." Empress urged, and Blossom's eyes flew open in reality glowing bright red.

Blossom burst from the vat of Chemical X completely black with sharp claws on her hands and feet. He clothes appeared to be gone as she came down on the Spike Hound Queen tearing into it with her claws. It roared and howled trying to get her off, but Blossom was like a demon. Her sharp teeth tore into its mane with ease continuing to make it howl and thrash around. She back flipped off its back growling, and when it charged Blossom her legs inhumanly contorted to allow her to get underneath the queen, grab her chest region, and suplex the queen busting her neck causing death on impact. Blossom stood growling, and then began grunting and hunching over before letting out a high-pitch screech before her body returned to normal in a burst of black smoke letting her fall to her knees breathing heavily.

"T-That was… that was intense…" Blossom spoke breathing heavily.

"If you're ever near a vat of Chemical X… don't be afraid to dive in and awaken once more. Who knows… you just might get the boost you need to survive the situation." the Empress's voice echoed in Blossom's head.

Blossom retrieved her gun and checked out to find that the rest of the Spike Hounds either fled or are dead. With that, she decided to call it a job. On her way out she saw the harvesters no longer having trouble with their work. The shipment trucks were moving back and forth again as well. Blossom got back in the buggy and took off for Junk Town. She didn't like the prospect of killing those Spike Hounds, but it needed to be done.

On her way back, the ground began to shake. Out of nowhere behind her a colossal worm-like dragon burst from the ground roaring, trying to catch her. She sped up as it continued raging after her diving and then surfacing again from the dirt. Blossom managed to lose it by drifting between some boulders. She floored it back to Junk Town after that. When she arrived and the garage door closed behind her, Blossom was never so glad to see Princess.

"Judging by how dirty it is, you had an encounter with Dirty Diablo." Princess observed.

"What was that thing?" Blossomed asked.

"Nobody really knows. Some wildlife it's easy to tell what it used to be, others… well, they're a mystery. Dirty Diablo is one of them, and can be a huge pain in the butt when we're trying to go places. I've had to jury-rig our slower vehicles with boost systems just to escape him. He won't go near rock formations like the mountains though, so my rule of thumb is to avoid being out in the open if you can help it." Princess explained.

"Well… I've got to report to Mojo that his harvesters won't be having any problems with Spike Hounds for a while." Blossom spoke before taking off.

She made her way up to Mojo's place. He didn't seem to be around, so she explored a little. She found a plan for a new kind of weapon on his desk. It seemed to build off the AX-19 weapon she was given.

"What are you doing?! That is MY plan!" Mojo scolded startling Blossom.

"Just looking. I'm back to report that your deliveries will only have to worry about Dirty Diablo for now." Blossom reported.

"Hmph. Good. I guess you're expecting some Chemical X in return for this." Mojo growled handing her a small syringe kit of Chemical X.

Blossom was apprehensive for a minute, but then she injected it. The rush again filled her body, although she tensed a bit before calming down. She felt normal, but knew that she was very far from it. Blossom then asked if Mojo had any other jobs for her.

"Hmph. Don't get ahead of yourself. If I have something you could do, I'll let you know. Speaking of which, HIM hasn't given you a Radio Drone has he?" Mojo mentioned.

"Radio Drone?" Blossom asked scratching her head.

"It's how we keep in touch even when we're out on a job. Go see HIM about it, I'm sure he'll get you one." Mojo insisted shooing her away.

Blossom then made her way for HIM's office, located at the very top of the town. The doors opened letting her inside. The long red carpet was her guide to HIM's office. The rooms she passed through had machines automating the Lu-C-Fer outfit manufacturing process. Once at his office, the doors opened before she could even knock. A large chair was turned showing only HIM's legs resting on a stool.

"Blossom, darling… excellent work with Mojo's little errand. I didn't think you had it in you…" HIM giggled.

"I'm told that you can hook me up with a Radio Drone." Blossom told him getting right to the point.

"Ah, yes, I thought there was something I'd forgotten. It's far easier to simply use a drone to tell you when they have a new job for you…" HIM giggled, and from his chair a small black robot flew out and toward Blossom.

"The frequencies correspond to different people's bots. You'll have to tweak around with it a bit to find out who is who…" HIM told her.

"Thanks HIM." Blossom thanked him examining the small robot.

"Any time dear. Oh… and I heard from the grapevine that Sedusa is looking for someone to take care of a little job for her." HIM suggested, and off Blossom went.

Sedusa lived near the bottom of the town. She evidently worked a barber shop for the town. When she opened the door she expected a harsh welcome, but to her surprise, nothing happened.

"Blossom, welcome. Have you come for business or did HIM send you to hassle me?" Sedusa greeted her.

"I'm here about a job you needed taken care of." Blossom told her.

"Yes, well… water is a big pain to get around here, but at least we're on solid rock so Dirty Diablo can't get us. I need someone to take the Jug-mobile to the Townsville Wall, fill it with water from the drain system, and bring it back here to be purified so that it can be used for bathing, cooking food, or for when I give people haircuts." Sedusa explained.

"Okay. How do I fill it?" Blossom asked.

"Trust me, once you see the Jug-mobile it'll be self-explanatory." Sedusa assured her tossing her a set of keys.

Blossom made for the garage again, and looked around at the vehicles. Princess quickly became annoyed. She stomped over to her and began tapping her foot.

"Can I help you, Power Puff?" Princess growled.

"I'm looking for the Jug-mobile. I'm going on a water run for Sedusa." Blossom explained.

"It's literally the ONLY vehicle with a giant water jug on the back…" Princess growled face palming.

Blossom got in starting it up, and off she went. She decided to use Princess's advice and stuck near the rock formations on her way there. She wished she could just go inside the city, but she knew better. She quickly found the drain system Sedusa mentioned and began filling up the jug. She began to drive once it'd filled, but a noise made her hit the brakes. She looked to one of the large sewer gates and saw odd black creatures crawling in the water. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she squeezed through the bars to follow.

Eventually she came into a giant reservoir. She hid behind a pillar when from another direction three people wearing black robes with theatre masks on approached. The black spots then rose to reveal beast-like humanoid creatures. They had odd purple crystals inside their bodies.

"You brought only half of what we asked for. Where's the information?" the middle person asked in an obviously distorted voice.

"You… get… when we… get our share…" one of the creatures growled ejecting the crystals from its body to their feet signaling its partner to do the same.

"Fine." they spoke nodding to the person with a briefcase, who then laid it out opening it revealing Chemical X inside.

Blossom couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was a legitimate illegal trade! She quickly made her way back out of the sewer and took off back to Junk Town. Hopefully HIM would know something about those creatures. Sedusa was waiting for her at the garage to take care of the water. Blossom was given her Chemical X, and she made her way to HIM's place again while trying to retain control of herself while the injection took effect. Once there, HIM was facing forward this time.

"HIM, I saw something weird while I was at the wall." Blossom told him.

"Do tell." HIM grinned.

"In the sewers, there was a deal between these robed people and these weird black creatures. They could flatten on the floor while carrying things inside of their bodies." Blossom explained.

"Sounds like you saw Chemical Fiends, monstrous creatures born of the corruptive influence of Chemical X. Why would they be making deals with someone though?" HIM asked.

"I don't know, but the leader wanted some kind of information from them." Blossom told him.

"Hmm… I may have to look into this. Several people in Townsville owe me favors, so I might have to call in a few to see what's happening in the underbelly." HIM mused.

"So, for now I just keep doing what I've been doing?" Blossom asked.

"Oh, do rest, darling. I prepared a place for you, it's one level down on the far right. You've earned a rest, two jobs in one day plus being chased by Dirty Diablo…" HIM told her, and Blossom sighed heading outside.

Now that she looked, the sun was beginning to set. She went down and eventually found her housing area. It was decently sized, and the bed was comfortable. Soon dark began to fall upon the land and Blossom lay down to begin sleeping. In her dreams, she remembered the good times with her sisters. She remembered her job, her home, and everything she'd taken for granted. She hoped that someday she'd be able to return to it. For now… she dreamed…

End Chapter 02 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 03: Blossom vs Chief Buttercup

Morning came with the roll of thunder. Blossom sat up and looked to see people bustling in the town. She went around to see what the cause for it was, and sure enough found the Gangreen Gang armed with weaponry as Princess got vehicles ready in the Garage.

"What's going on?" Blossom asked.

"Caravan raid. We arrive fashionably late, save them from the bandits and or monsters, and then charge 'em in the merch they're carrying. It's extortion, but hey… kill or be killed." Ace spoke loading a rifle-type weapon.

"You see Blossom, here we don't have a choice but to raid caravans, or extort them…" HIM explained walking to them.

"I know… you have to do what you need to." Blossom sighed.

"Let's go boys! That caravan won't extort itself!" Ace shouted, and his gang cheered as they rode out of the garage.

"Those idiots risk their necks by pulling stunts like that. Dirty Diablo is going to come after them someday, and with the extra cargo I doubt the boost systems will stay ahead of it for long." Princess scoffed.

"Speaking of stunts… Blossom, I have a contact in Townsville who has vital information for me… but my old little errand boy got eaten by Dirty Diablo… so I need someone to go meet with them in the Townsville Sewer System." HIM offered Blossom.

"Won't I get caught by the security cameras?" Blossom asked.

"Not if you stick to the path of cameras with blue lights on them. Those are offline because they don't believe people want to risk falling into water full of sentry drones equipped with fusion cannons." HIM giggled.

"Fusion cannons… and I'm not immune to bullets anymore… yay…" Blossom laughed nervously.

"All you have to do is stay out of the water and they don't even know you're there. Make sure to get every bit of information… OR ELSE." HIM warned.

"I got it… now how do I know I won't get busted by the law?" Blossom asked.

"Trust me, Blossom, I've had errand boys and girls do it several hundred times since our banishment. I'll let them know you're coming ahead of time." HIM grinned.

Reluctantly, Blossom got in the buggy and took off for Townsville Wall again. Once there, there were noticeable claw marks on the bars of the entrance she'd used before. Wary of danger, she drew her gun as she moved inward. On the grating she walked on there were more scratch marks. Past the reservoir she stopped at last time, she found a forking path. One set of cameras was red, the others were blue. Using HIM's orders she followed the blue path of the being careful of any extra security measures. Eventually she came to another reservoir where someone was standing in the darker part of the area.

"Are you HIM's contact?" Blossom asked.

"Blossom?" the professor's voice asked back.

"Professor?!" Blossom exclaimed, and sure enough Professor Utonium stepped from the darkness.

The two shared a long embrace. Blossom couldn't fight back a tear as they hugged. She'd wanted to see him again since she'd been banished.

"Blossom, I didn't think you'd be HIM's errand girl." the professor chuckled.

"I have to be everyone's errand girl pretty much, at least if I want to get back to 100% and prove my innocence." Blossom sighed.

"Well, I have something that'll interest HIM. Lion occasionally takes a day off work to go somewhere. So one day I decided to follow him, and discovered that he goes to the Main Pump Works. He meets with these strange creatures and keeps telling them to 'continue being a pest to the city' for some reason. I have a feeling that he's not who he says he is." the professor told her.

"I knew he was shady. Anything else?" Blossom asked.

"I managed to get a copy of this." the professor replied handing her a scroll.

"What is it?" Blossom asked.

"A map of the area around Townsville, but if you hold this particular one under a flame it reveals the location of places marked with x's. I don't know if they're Chemical X vents, towns, or what… but it might be useful to you." the professor replied.

"Thanks professor." Blossom nodded.

"Blossom. Know that no matter what, I know you didn't do it." the professor spoke with a smile as he gave her shoulder a pat.

"Thank you… dad." Blossom smiled with a tear in her eye.

"Now go, we can't risk someone overhearing." the professor urged, and off Blossom went.

When Blossom arrived back at Junk Town, they were celebrating a large haul courtesy of the Gangreen Gang. Food, beverages, supplies, and much more was being properly placed and divided among the residents. Blossom hurried to give the information to HIM. He was looking out past Junk Town's barrier from the cliff his home was on.

"So Blossom, what did you learn?" HIM asked without looking at her.

"Lion is apparently using those Chemical Fiends to keep people in line by allowing them to attack the city. I also have a map that will reveal hidden places when held over a candle." Blossom reported presenting the map to him.

"Sounds like you met my informant. Did you enjoy your reunion?" HIM giggled.

"I did, actually." Blossom smirked.

Later they began to find the hidden areas on the map and mark them using pins. After all was said and done, they could only wonder what they were. Ideas were thrown around, conjecture rose, but ultimately nothing was decided.

"I'll go then." Blossom suggested.

"To investigate?" HIM asked.

"Yeah. We can't decide on what they are, so we should check them out." Blossom sighed.

"A splendid idea, Blossom. Your next job is to find out what the X between Dragon Rock and Milesville is." HIM ordered.

After a nice lunch and receiving an ammunition restock from the Gangreen Gang, Blossom took off again into the wastes. Following a copy map she made her way to where the X should be. What she found was a canyon with a boardwalk going down in a systematic fashion. She took a deep breath and began her descent leaving her vehicle on the surface. Once she was as far down as the boardwalk went, she found an entrance to a cave. Not far in the rock changed to a sort of golden alloy with white writing in a seemingly gibberish language. The further in she went she found that deep underground was a colossal temple made of the alloy. Deep below was possibly the biggest reservoir of Chemical X she'd ever seen.

She continued down and looked at the insane structuring of the pathways. Every path seemed to float on the surface of the Chemical X. She had no clue how it was all staying afloat with her standing on it. It was acting as if she had no weight at all. Across the way was a pedestal that had Chemical X fountaining out on three of four sides. On top of it was a blood red sphere. She hopped her way across the platforms and made it to the solid area where the pedestal stood. A resonating sound began to ring in her head that drew her to it. She wanted to walk up and grab it, satiating the noise. She stepped toward it when the entire place began to shake violently. Once it stopped, it was eerily quiet.

"Blossom, thank you so much for leading me right to what I need to keep the city safe." Lion's voice boomed making her turn to see him there grinning with Buttercup standing at his side wearing a modified outfit equipped with numerous items employed by police officers.

"Lion… Buttercup? What are you doing here?" Blossom asked.

"I'm in charge of law enforcement. I can't have another assassin kill the mayor. That includes you, Blossom." Buttercup replied coldly.

"Buttercup, I didn't do it!" Blossom shouted.

"You say while toting an illegally modified gun? How do I know you didn't use that to kill the mayor?" Buttercup growled.

"That's unfair to me because I don't have powers anymore! It's not like I'm in Townsville either!" Blossom scolded her.

"I don't need to hear this crap from a murderer." Buttercup growled.

"Chief Utonium, if you'd kindly retrieve the artifact so we no longer need to dirty our eyes with the sight of her?" Lion asked, and Buttercup flew over.

"Buttercup… I'm telling you, Lion's crooked. Use your head, damn it." Blossom growled as Buttercup landed walking by her, but then she stopped.

"You know… I once saw you as my sister, but Lion opened my eyes. It doesn't matter if they're friend or family… people who think they're better than everyone are destined to go dark." Buttercup growled before sucker punching Blossom making her nose bleed.

"Buttercup… you're being tricked!" Blossom roared standing up, and then she pulled Buttercup back from the alter punching her back only making her stagger a bit holding her cheek.

"Hitting an officer… that's grounds for a lesson." Buttercup growled, and then she tackled Blossom into another area making Lion's grin widen.

Blossom and Buttercup began fighting in different areas of the ruin. Blossom still had her martial arts training, but her punches and kicks didn't have the force they used to carry. Usually she could defeat Buttercup with an armbar, but she lacked the strength to keep it longer than five seconds. Occasionally Buttercup's punches would leave small cuts on Blossom. It was clear this was a losing battle, but Blossom had to get through to her.

She hid behind a pillar to catch her breath as Buttercup angrily scanned from the sky. It gave Blossom a few seconds for her cuts to start healing a bit, but she knew Buttercup wouldn't stand around for long.

"Where are you, scumbag?! I'll pound your face in!" Buttercup roared livid about the fight Blossom was putting up.

Blossom got in the open again, and when Buttercup charged Blossom suddenly drew her gun blasting Buttercup knocking her to the wall. It tore her outfit, but didn't hurt her body one bit. She got angrier continuing to charge only for Blossom to blast her back to the wall making it crack with ease successive hit. Buttercup being sloppy when she's mad continued to ring true. When Blossom had to reload Buttercup laid into her knocking the gun away. She then began to hold Blossom in a tight sleeper headlock.

Blossom struggled and struggled, but it was futile. She didn't have the strength to get out of this. She gasped for air until she finally fell unconscious. Buttercup, still furious, threw her into the Chemical X scoffing at where she sank. She then flew back to the altar, and the sound of bubbling made her stop. Blossom's arm burst from the X grabbing onto the platform, and pulled her awakened form up out of the vat. Buttercup, still ripe with rage charged and threw a punch. She caught her fist stopping it dead in its tracks startling Buttercup. Immediately the beat down became reversed. Buttercup had never fought something like this, and was taking heavy injuries from Blossom's claws.

Blossom bit into Buttercup's shoulder making her scream in agony as she threw her across the platform. Blossom slowly stalked toward her as Buttercup looked at her in fear. Before Blossom could continue, Lion came out of nowhere wearing gauntlets and slammed two knuckles each into two pressure points on her spine. Blossom returned to normal and fell to the floor out like a light. Buttercup couldn't believe what she'd just seen.

"There. That should keep her down for a while." Lion scoffed, and then retrieved the artifact.

"Mayor Abrams…" Buttercup whimpered.

"Pull yourself together, chief. We'll get you patched up on the way back. It seems that even filth can have a trick or two up its sleeves." Lion urged her extending his hand.

Buttercup accepted his hand and he helped her to her feet. The two then left the ruin as Blossom lay unconscious. A long time passed, and Chemical Fiends began to rise from the ooze. One brought Blossom's gun back to her as others circled her. They lifted her and began to carry her through the ruins. Eventually they arrived at a room with an oddly shaped Iron Maiden inside. Inside was an odd crown with a black gem in the center. They placed her upright against it lowering the crown on her, and closed the maiden on her. The gem began to resonate and affect Blossom's subconscious.

Slowly Blossom's blackness became vivid nightmares of faceless scientists torturing Empress. They were pulling Chemical X from her body forcing Chemical Fiends to be created. Empress cried and cried begging to be freed until at last she snapped and showed them the gravity of who they were messing with. In the lab, an eerily familiar-looking scientist was holding a wounded scientist crying in woe. Empress left them alone, and the next image… was all too familiar… the birth of Blossom and her sisters. This wasn't just her origin, but showed that even when she'd been tortured and used she still found it in her to help the professor. That also meant another thing… the professor was once in love, and lost it because they didn't stop to think about what they were doing.

Blossom woke up and opened the door taking the crown off breathing heavily. She looked around only to see that the Chemical Fiends were bowing to her. She understood now, the form of the created beings is based on emotion. She created the Chemical Fiends out of anger and hate, but Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup were made out of sorrow, joy, and sentimentality. Chemical X was her lifeblood as well as his sisters'. She quickly made her way back out of the ruins. Once she did the earth began to shake, and to her shock the ruin began to surface. She quickly drove so that she wouldn't be taken with the earth it was clearing away. Once it'd finished surfacing, a golden energy barrier closed it off from everything.

Blossom returned to Junk Town to a surprisingly warm reception. Apparently they'd seen Lion's vehicle head for the ruin and that caused great concern to everyone. This was only the second day, but people already cared for her. Princess pretended just to be worried about the car, but she could tell that she was worried. Blossom got her outfit repaired at HIM's before giving the rundown of what happened at the ruin.

"So… Chemical X has all kinds of different powers based on how it's used. It can be a power source and create life… and corrupt an entire planet's landscape irreparably scarring it." HIM reasoned.

"Lion wanted something with the artifact that was there… something about protecting Townsville. I highly doubt that's the actual reason behind it though." Blossom told him.

"Hmm… so there are more than one of those ruins. Talk to the Gangreen Gang about a stronger weapon… I'm not sending you to take care of the other site we found without the proper firepower to deal with the Chemical Fiends that have taken up residence there." HIM ordered.

Blossom then headed over to the Gangreen Gang's shop. This time, she wasn't afraid of the guns hanging all over the room. In fact, after experiencing being so vulnerable she began to appreciate them, illegal as they may be.

"Ace, I need a stronger gun. Maybe one with longer range too?" Blossom spoke bluntly.

"Hmm, you're starting to get a taste for firearms, huh? Well, I'm a man of my word. I got a job for you. Complete it, and I'll have a piece so fine it'd make Mojo have to praise its design for you." Ace smirked.

"What's the job?" Blossom asked.

"Arturo and Billy went to the Lode Caves to find some choice metals that can only be found inside the Inactive Magma Zone. Those bumbling idiots probably got stuck down there, so I'll be giving you the key to the Terraform Mech to dig those idiots out of there." Ace explained handing Blossom an oddly shaped key.

"So where are the Lode Caves?" Blossom asked.

"In town, actually. It's at the very bottom of the town, couldn't miss it if you were blind." Ace told her, and off she went.

Blossom restocked on ammo and made her way down to the cave. Blue Lode Crystals lit her way inside the cave. It took her a bit, but she eventually found a path where the Lode Stones changed color from blue to red. She followed it and after a few minutes she finally reached the Inactive Magma Zone. It was still hot, but at least there wasn't too many lava pockets. The majority of the bottom floor was solidified rock. She spotted Arturo and Billy on the lowest level with sacks of odd rock chunks by them. Across the way she spotted a mech, presumably the Terraform Mech.

She made her way to it and got in turning it on. Using its tools she began carefully terraforming a path down to them. They noticed her and began making their way toward her. Once the path was finished they finally met up.

"Boy am I glad to see you, senorita." Arturo greeted her.

"We thought we were stuck down here with that thing." Billy sighed relieved.

"With what?" Blossom asked.

"Uh, not important. Let's just go, and maybe seal off the caves." Arturo suggested.

"What did you find…?" Blossom demanded to know, and the cave shook a bit making the two flee up the path as a massive lizard-shaped Chemical Fiend with obvious volcanic mutation stomped into the area letting out a loud roar causing stalactites to fall from the ceiling puncturing through the rock floor in spots.

"El Diablo! Run senorita!" Arturo screamed running for the exit with Billy close behind.

"I can't let this thing endanger the town." Blossom growled leaping out getting its attention.

Blossom began using the mech to tangle with the beast as it roared blasting fire at her. Luckily, the mech was extremely heat resistant. She punched it several times in the eyes making it roar getting angrier. It tested the mech's hydraulics when it charged her. The mech stopped it at the edge of a lava pocket allowing Blossom to toss it over her into the pit. She put some distance between her and the pit, and the Chemical Beast raged out of the pit with its Chemical X body beginning to melt apart as it roared in a higher pitch than before. Despite its melting body it continues its attack.

This time it began launching solid flaming rocks at her from its stomach. The mech could stop them, it began making the fingers red hot. She began having to punch them so she didn't risk damaging the mech. On its next charge she again threw it into a lava pocket. It began rising screaming in an even higher pitch than before, but this time it sank back into lava. The chamber then began to shake violently. The commotion had caused an eruption to begin! Blossom hurried back up and through the exit. She began backing the walls to cause a cave in to block off the lava. Once back in town she could see the smoke rising into the air from the top of the mountain.

Out of nowhere large satellite dishes rose and unfolded to generate a protective barrier over the town as ash and rocks rained down. Lava began coming down the mountain as well. Then Blossom spotted a Mojo Mech climbing the side of the mountain volcano carrying a gun of some kind. At the top it began blasting liquid nitrogen onto the volcano top. The top soon became plugged, and the ground shook as we heard an explosion elsewhere. It seemed that the trapped magma had exploded out on a different side of the mountain. The anti-volcano shield remained up for twenty-four hours to be sure what Mojo had done succeeded.

After it was all clear, Mojo had his mechs bust open the top to begin funneling in liquid nitrogen. His hope was to keep it from going off a second time. While they were doing that, Blossom made her way to the Gangreen Gang's shop. They were happy to see her.

"Nice work, Blossom. You saved the boys and kept a Chemical Fiend from destroying the town. You even brought the Terraform Mech back out. I guess you're still a hero after all." Ace smirked tapping his fingers on a slender black case.

"I do what I can to save the day." Blossom smirked back.

"I'm a man of my word." Ace chuckled patting the case and backing up.

Blossom opened it up and inside was a sleek blood red rifle-type weapon with a vein structure beneath the grip and shell. Every now and then in the veins of it an ice blue energy would pulse through. In the back was a clip holding a sort of plasma energy. The case came with a holster for it and extra clips. It was easily stored in the holster as she could fold it over and place the clips in slots on the side of it. It was longer than the AX-19, had a bit more weight, and from the barrel it appeared to fire medium-sized shots.

"I present to you… the AM-221 'Spider Bite'. It uses plasma energy to pierce through most armored foes or vehicles, times twenty zooming scope, eight-shot clip, and comes with a handy stand if you want to snipe your foes in comfort. We wanted to use Psychonic Armor-piercing Shots… but no matter how strong of a silencer we put on it you could hear it a mile away, giving off your position." Ace told her and Blossom looked through the scope.

"How would it do in close-quarters?" Blossom asked.

"It could be used that way, but I'm not sure why you would." Ace replied scratching his head.

"Never know what could happen out there." Blossom told him holstering the gun.

"Heh. Now you're sounding like a Junker." Ace chuckled.

"Junker?" Blossom asked confused.

"It's the name we came up with for denizens of Junk Town. You live here, then you're a Junker." Ace explained.

"Junker… it has a ring to it." Blossom spoke before leaving the shop.

Blossom made her way to HIM's place. The doors of the building opened, but this time his office was closed. She knocked but got no response, so perhaps he was in a conference with someone else. She sat waiting around for her turn if that was the case. A long two hours later, Blossom was starting to nod off when the doors opened startling her. From the room the cloaked person she saw in the sewers walked out. She got a good look at them, seeing the water design on their silver mask. For some reason she couldn't see their eyes through it as they passed by. Their cloak hid everything about their body as well. Blossom then entered HIM's office to find his nose bleeding as he tried to clean up the mess on his desk and clean up his nose.

"HIM, did that guy do that to you?" Blossom asked.

"I brought it on myself, I went too far with our negotiations… but I managed to strike a deal nonetheless." HIM sniffled plugging his bleeding nostril.

"Who was that?" Blossom asked.

"Ocean, the current kingpin crime lord in Townsville. He had information on what Lion wants with the Chemical X Artifact, we had your work ethic to offer." HIM replied.

"What went too far?" Blossom asked.

"You don't need to be concerned about that." HIM sighed.

"If you say so… but I know you're pretty strong, HIM. Don't let people push you around for the sake of diplomacy. Out here, it's kill or be killed." Blossom told him rubbing his back.

"Hahaha… didn't expect you to use that line. In the short time you've been here you really have become one of us." HIM chuckled.

"So, where's this ruin?" Blossom asked.

"You'll be going to the Warped Jungle at the far south end of the Townsville area. On top of the mountain there you'll find a ruin. It's heavily guarded by Chemical Fiends though, so put that new weapon of yours to good use." HIM told her.

"Okay. So I'm guessing I won't be taking the buggy there." Blossom inferred.

"HEAVENS NO, Princess would kill you… you'll be taking the Speeder, it's built for that kind of terrain." HIM told her in a slight panic.

"All right. I'll get on it." Blossom nodded.

"There's also a second job available to you if you don't want to go there immediately… Ocean will have a liaison waiting outside the Townsville drain." HIM told her.

Blossom exited the building and began to think. She didn't know who Ocean was, making them hard to trust after busting HIM's nose, and at the same time she wasn't sure if she was ready to handle all those Chemical Fiends yet. She debated it while making her way to the garage. Princess was working on a vehicle again as she entered.

"Princess." Blossom greeted her making her hit her head again rolling out.

"Damn it Blossom… knock next time." Princess groaned holding her head.

"Sorry. I need the Speeder." Blossom told her.

"Brick is out for a ride, so it isn't in right now." Princess explained.

"Oh, so the Rowdyrough Boys are here too." Blossom observed.

"Yeah, and unfortunately they're my neighbors. Anyway, what'd you need the Speeder for?" Princess asked.

"To go to the jungle where that ruin is at." Blossom replied.

"Well, you've got a long wait. Brick can be out for days at a time." Princess told her.

That settled it, Blossom would go see Ocean's liaison. She hated the idea of helping an active crime lord, but what choice did she have? She didn't even know what the job was either. She'd have to go to the liaison to find out.

End Chapter 03


End file.
